Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty, in full Liberty Enlightening the World, is a statue, given to the U.S. by France in the late 19th century, that stands at the mouth of the Hudson River in New York Harbor as a welcome to all returning Americans, visitors, and immigrants alike. The sculptor was Frederic Auguste Bartholdi; Gustave Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower fame) created the armature.

History

French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design a sculpture with the year 1876 in mind for completion, to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. Bartholdi had previously prepared, in 1869 a scale model of a giant statue of a lady holding a torch, for the entry of the recently built Suez Canal. The idea for the commemorative gift grew out of the political turmoil which was shaking France at the time. The French Third Republic was still considered as a "temporary" arrangement by many, who wished a returned to monarchism, or to some form of constitutional dictatorship which they had known under Bonaparte. The idea of giving a colossal representation of republican virtues to a "sister" republic across the sea served as a focus for the republican cause, against other political opponents.

Related Topics:
Frederic Auguste Bartholdi - 1876 - American Declaration of Independence - 1869 - Suez Canal - French Third Republic - Bonaparte

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Bartholdi had an authentic American model, it appears: the good-looking, recently widowed Isabella Eugenie Boyer, the wife of Isaac Singer, the sewing-machine industrialist. "She was rid of the uncouth presence of her husband, who had left her with only his most socially desirable attributes: his fortune and... his children. She was, from the beginning of her career in Paris, a well-known figure. As the good-looking French widow of an American industrialist she was called upon to be Bartholdi's model for the Statue of Liberty." (Ruth Brandon, Singer and the Sewing Machine: A Capitalist Romance, p. 211)

Related Topics:
Isabella Eugenie Boyer - Isaac Singer

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It was agreed upon that in a joint effort the American people were to build the pedestal, and the French people were responsible for the Statue and its assembly in the United States. However, lack of funds was a problem on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In France, public fees, various forms of entertainment, and a lottery were among the methods used to raise the 2,250,000 francs. In the United States, benefit theatrical events, art exhibitions, auctions and prize fights assisted in providing needed funds. Meanwhile in France, Bartholdi required the assistance of an engineer to address structural issues associated with designing such a colossal copper sculpture. Gustave Eiffel (designer of the Eiffel Tower) was commissioned to design the massive iron pylon and secondary skeletal framework which allows the Statue's copper skin to move independently yet stand upright. Eiffel delegated the detailed work to his trusted structural engineer, Maurice Koechlin.

Related Topics:
Atlantic Ocean - Franc - Prize fights - Gustave Eiffel - Eiffel Tower - Structural engineer - Maurice Koechlin

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Back in America, the site, authorized in New York harbor by Act of Congress, 1877, was selected by General William Tecumseh Sherman, who settled on Bartholdi's own choice, then known as Bedloe's Island, where there was already an early 19th-century star-shaped fortification.

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Fundraising for the pedestal, led by William M. Evarts, was going slowly, so Joseph Pulitzer (noted for the Pulitzer Prize) opened up the editorial pages of his newspaper, The World, to support the fund raising effort. Pulitzer used his newspaper to criticize both the rich who had failed to finance the pedestal construction and the middle class who were content to rely upon the wealthy to provide the funds. Pulitzer's campaign of harsh criticism was successful in motivating the people of America to donate.

Related Topics:
William M. Evarts - Joseph Pulitzer - Pulitzer Prize

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Financing for the pedestal, designed by American architect Richard Morris Hunt, was completed in August 1885, the cornerstone was laid on August 5, and pedestal construction was finished in April 22, 1886. When the last stone of the pedestal was swung into place the masons reached into their pockets and showered into the mortar a collection of silver coins.

Related Topics:
Richard Morris Hunt - 1885 - August 5 - 1886

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Built into the pedestal's massive masonry are two sets of four iron girders, connected by iron tie beams that are carried up to become part of Eiffel's framework for the statue itself. Thus Liberty is integral with her pedestal.

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The Statue was completed in France in July, 1884 and arrived in New York Harbor on June 17, 1885 on board the French frigate Isere. In transit, the Statue was reduced to 350 individual pieces and packed in 214 crates. (The right arm and the torch, which were completed earlier, had been exhibited at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1876, and thereafter at Madison Square in New York City.) The Statue was re-assembled on her new pedestal in four months' time. On October 28, 1886, the dedication of the Statue of Liberty by U.S. President Grover Cleveland took place in front of thousands of spectators. She was a centennial gift ten years late.

Related Topics:
1884 - June 17 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 1876 - Madison Square - October 28 - Grover Cleveland

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In 1916, the Black Tom Explosion caused $100,000 worth of damage to the statue, imbedding shrapnel and eventually helping to cause the closing of the torch to visitors.

Related Topics:
1916 - Black Tom Explosion

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U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt rededicated the Statue of Liberty on its 50th anniversary (October 28, 1936).

Related Topics:
Franklin D. Roosevelt - 1936

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In 1984, the Statue of Liberty was added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's list of World Heritage Sites. It is one of only four surviving man-made sites in the United States to be named as such, the others being Independence Hall, Pueblo de Taos, and the combined site of the University of Virginia and Monticello.

Related Topics:
1984 - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - World Heritage Sites - Independence Hall - Pueblo de Taos - University of Virginia - Monticello

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Extensive renovations were performed before the statue's centennial in 1986, including a new gold layer on the torch, which now shines over New York Harbor at night. The Statue of Liberty was reopened to the public on July 5 after this extensive refurbishing.

Related Topics:
1986 - Gold - July 5

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The centennial extravaganza lasted three days and drew 12 million people, and is said to have been the largest public event in the world as of that date. It was produced by Jeanne Fleming, a internationally renowned celebration producer and artist whose work includes New York's Village Halloween Parade. The guest list was unique. "We invited all the great statues of the world to her birthday party and created giant puppets to represent them," Fleming explains. "Each one arrived accompanied by native music."

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Origin of the copper

Historical records make no mention of the source of the copper used in the Statue of Liberty. In the town of Visnes, near Stavanger, Norway, tradition holds that the copper came from the French-owned Visnes Mine. Ore from this mine, refined in France and Belgium, was a significant source of European copper in the late nineteenth century. In 1985, Bell Laboratories used emission spectrography to compare samples of copper from the Visnes Mines and from the Statue of Liberty, found the spectrum of impurities to be very similar, and concluded that the evidence argued strongly for a Norwegian origin of the copper.

Related Topics:
Visnes - Stavanger - Norway - Bell Laboratories

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Concern for security

On September 11, 2001 the Statue of Liberty was closed to the public to upgrade its security systems. On December 20, 2001 the exterior grounds were reopened to visitors. On August 3, 2004, the pedestal interior was reopened; however, the interior of the statue remains closed. Visitors are subject to restrictions, including personal searches similar to the security found in airports.

Related Topics:
September 11 - 2001 - December 20 - August 3 - 2004 - Airport

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